Updated Feb. 26, 2026 10:47 am to correct description of R-1-12 zoning.
by Wayne Lee – Sports Editor
The Eagle Point Planning Commission held a public hearing Feb.17 regarding a request to rezone a 6.06-acre parcel of land located at 1015 Palima Dr. from Residential Farm (RF) to R-1-12 has a minimum lot size of 12,000 sq. ft. However, it must be noted that what was before the commission was a simple rezoning request, not a development proposal.
The commission had to determine four things. First, the application was declared complete. Second, the proposal is consistent with the comprehensive plan and municipal code. Third was that all legal notifications have been satisfied with respect to the application, and the fourth was that concerns expressed by affected agencies have been mitigated.
However, that didn’t stop nine residents who live in four homes in the area from presenting a signed three-page letter detailing all their objections to a housing development that may or may not occur in the future. As with any proposed growth, the two main objections are traffic and stormwater runoff. The letter went on to meticulously note every possible objection they could muster from Palima Dr., “is not adjacent to a collector street,” to items such as street light pollution, adverse effects to local wildlife, potential increased fire risks and elimination of educational opportunities for FFA and 4H students.
At one point commission member Millie Wewerka noted the conversation had strayed into “concepts” rather than the application before them. There was no issue other than if the rezoning request was determined to be valid. The local residents urged a no vote asking, “Do we really want to become the densely populated, fenced in wall-to-wall concrete and pavement covered urban sprawl extending from Medford and Central Point running through White City?”
After 90 minutes of comments and questions, the commission voted unanimously to approve the rezone request with two conditions of approval and forward it to the city council for its consideration at a future meeting.
The first condition is a Rogue Valley Sewer Service (the city’s stormwater manger) requirement stating, “the applicant shall demonstrate compliance with the Rogue Valley Stormwater Quality Design Manual if installing or redeveloping over 5,000 SF of impervious surfaces in the future, as well as an erosion control permit depending on the proposed total ground disturbance.” The second is also a requirement of RVSS that, “a future proposal for development should include a mainline extension sewer from an existing main. Ln addition, a 15-foot-wide easement with all-weather access shall be included to all new public sewer facilities. The sewer system plan for a future development proposal shall be approved by RVSS prior to the city’s approval of the civil engineer’s plans and comply with Dept. Of Environmental Quality and Uniform Code.”
It should be noted that council approval is by no means automatic. On the south side of the city is the eight-acre Fellows West Development.
This project has been submitted, reviewed, and revised nearly half a dozen times due to density concerns and the impact that water runoff will have on the hay farm on the county side of the city limits. This development is also on a steep hillside similar to some of the land in the area of Palima Dr. and is required to build a catch basin to contain water runoff and drain it slowly out of the area. The rezone request will come before the council no earlier than mid-March.
